Vacuum fuel-feed device.



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'tothe -atmosphereinlet port which is www m .SSGNR TU STEVIABTLWARNEB SPEEDOMETR ELNGIS, CORPORATION 0F 'VRGINIA. l

:tours snee, or cnicas-o retainers, consonantes, or cnicneo,

@ENE FQE,

VACUUM FUEL-FEET* DEVCE,

l estense.

Application filed September 10, 1917,

To alt whom t may wacom:

'Be it lniown that l, Lome Bene, a vcitiintnfi oi' theUnited States, residing at hicago, in the county of Cook and State oi illinois, e have invented new and useful improvements in Vacuum Fuel-Feed lflevices, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the -accoxnpanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

lhe purpose vide an improved construction in a vacuum fuel feeding device for internal combustion engines, the specilie purpose being to aiord a simpler means than has heretofore been used for alternating the domination o the suction and atmospheric pressure in the vacuum chamber of-such a device. It consists in the elements and Jfeatures oil con struction, shown and described, as indicated in the claims.

in 'the drawings, which show a niodication of the invention disclosed and claimed 'broadly' in my co-pending application No.

190,678, tiled September 10, 1917 Figurei. is a diagrammatic view present- A ing,1 the main elements of the invention in their ,f g'eneral relation as assembled on an automobile.

Fig'. 2v is avertical axial section of' the vacuum Jfeed device proper, showing the seyeral elements'in the vacuum chamber at the vposition occupied during illing,-that is, during the domination of the suction.

3 is a View similar to Fig'. 2, Showing the position of the parts during empty ing of the Vacuum cha1nber,-that is, during the domination of the atmospheric pres sure. I

"in the drawings 1 t represents the main low level liquid 'fuel supply tank. 2 is the vacuum chamber, 3 is the liquid conduit for supplying the Vacuum chamber from the low 'level tank; d. is the reservoir or reserve chamber which issupplied with the liquidffuel from the vacuum chamber, 'the structure `being' `in which the vacuum chamber is suspended within the reservoir, t, with an annular space, 5, at the upper part of said reservoir,

to around the vacuum. chamber. 6 is the discharge pipeofrom the vacuum chamber into kthereservoir, d; 7 is the valve which controis vthe liquid discharge. 8, is the suction connection to the vacuum chamber, 9,

formed Speciication ofetters Estant.

of this invention isto prothe familiar :torni in serial ne. iedere.

in a fitting at the Abottoni of the vacuum` chamber which is connected by a pipe, t), extending in the reservoir, a, np to near the top of the annular-portion thereof. 10 is a frame or hanger which is rigidly supported in the vacuum chamber conveniently by be-4 ing suspended from the top plate, therebars for'the stenn'll, let Valve, 11. Nithin said traine, 10, mounted and gudedon lthe valve stein, 11a, there is an upper buoy, 12, having very slight range of movement on the sliding stein, being stopped atfits lower side by a pin, "11", and at its upper side by a pin., 11, set through; said stein, a very light spring, 13, being interposedbetween the buoy at the ,ppper sideand the pin, I11, tending to hold the buoyl normally stopped against the lower pin. 1,4 is. a smaller float mounted lin the lower part of the chamber, also freely sliding on valve stem, lower side by a pin, 11d, set through the stem, whereby the weight of said lower buoy tends to operate for seating the atmosphere `Valve, 11, when said lower buoy is at its lowest position; Fulcrulned on` the frame, 10, there is a latch, 16, and preferably two such latches are employed, as illustrated, at diametricallyopposite positions with respect to the Valve stem, 11a. At their upper ends these latches are adapted to engage under the abrupt lower shoulder, 1,5" of a hub, 15, with which the upper Jbuoy, 12, terminates at its lower side, the latches being adapted to swing about their fulcrulns clear of said shoulder to permit the ends of the latches to pass up along the side of the hub, as shown in Fig. 2. At the lower end below the ulcrum each latch has an abutment, 16a, which engages the slots, 18, in cams, 18", carried by the lower buoy, 14, the two cams, for the two latches shown be. ing formed as up-bent portions of a plate, 18, which is mounted upon the upper side of said lower buoy.

The operation. of the device described may be well understood from the structure itself, but may be further explained.

The various chambers, excepting the main low level supply tank, i tion connection pipe,8,bei ng connected with the intake manifold. of the engine, 'during vthe operation of the engine, partial vacuum is pmochiced in the vacuum chamber, causing of the atmosphere '1n- Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

of, aording guidance in its top. and bottom 11a, and stopped at its being' empty, the sucn Leef/,eea

v liquid to be forced'by atmospheric pressure trom the main low level tank up into said vacuum chamber. At the initial stage of emptiness of the vacuum chamber, it will be understood that the atmosphere inlet valve, 11, is seated and is held on its seat by the weight of both the buoys. As the liquid rises in the vacuum chamber, the lower buoy being rst submerged, tends to rise, but is prevented from/'doing so by the engagement of the lower arms of the latches, 16, in the cams, 18", and the engagement ot' the upper ends of the latches against the side of the hub, .15, of the upper buoy. As the liquid continues to rise, eventually the upper buoy becbmes submerged and buoyed to a sutlicient extent to cause it to rise, compressing the light spring, 13, at. the top and carrying the lower abrupt shoulder, 15b, of the hub, 15, up past the. upper end of the latches; Whereupon the upward buoyed action of the lower fbuoy, which is completely subn'ierged, operating by' means of the cams, 18h, upon the i lower arms of the latches forces their upper fee ends inward under the abrupt shoulder 15b, and the lower buoy being thereby released and rising, releases the atmosphere valve jwhich is immediately pulled oit its seat,

first, by the reaction or the spring, 13, and then by the further uplifting action of the upper buoy. The atmosphere being admit4 ted -and dominating over the suction, the liquidiin the vacuum chamber falls by gravity outlpast the valve, 7 into the reservoir, 1l.

The upperbuoy soon ceases to be upheld by i the liquid, but is prevented from falling and causing the' atmosphere valve to be closed because it is held 1n upper position by the .engagementotf the latches, 16, under said abrupt shoulder, 1.5", of the hub, 15, of said upper float; land this Condition bontinues until the liquid has fallen so farthat the* lower buoy, 14, ceasing t-o be upheld by the@ liquid, will fall, and by the' action ofythe cams, 18h, on the lower ends othelatches, withdraws the upper ends of the latches from under said. shoulder, permitting said lupppr buoy to fall and to carry the atmos- I' "phere inlet valve down with it. Thus said sel atmosphere inlet valve becomes closed when the liquid level of the chamber has fallen so as `lto leavethe lower buoy only partly submerged; the low liquid level of' the vacuum chamber being thus-very nearly the 1. In a liquid fuel feeding apparatus inY combination with a main supply tank at a low level; a. vacuum chamber at a higher level, a conduit for conducting liquid fuel from the said tank to the vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having a liquid discharge port and a valve controlling the same, adapted to be opened by gravity flow, and to be held on its seat by the suction in the vacuum chamber, said chamber having a suction connection and an atmosphere inlet port; a valve controlling the atmosphere inlet port; two buoys in the chamber at different heights, the upper buoy being operatively connected with the atmosphere valve tor opening it when said upper buoy rises, and for closing it when the upper buoy falls, and means by which the lower buoy locks the upper buoy in elevated position when the lower buoy falls.

2. In a construction such as set out in claim 1, said locking means consisting of a latch having a fixed fulcrum and adapted to engage the upper buoy at the highest position thereof: means by which the lower buoy actuates saigl latch.

3. In a' construction such as set out in claim 2, foregoing, the means for actuating the latch being a cam carried bv the lower buoy.

4i. In a construction such as set out in claim 1, both of the buoys mentioned being guided on the stem of the atmosphere inlet valve, the upper buoy havingy a. slight range otl movement thereon, and a spring reacting between the valve stem and said upper buoy tending to hold the buoy at the lower limit of its said slight range.

In a construction such as set out in claim 2, a hanger rigidly mounted inthe vacuum chamber, the atmosphere inlet valve having its 'stem guided for opening and closing movement in said hanger, and the latch being fulcrumed on the hanger.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 30th day of August, 1917. 

